A Journey of Faith and Courage: Celebrating 10 years of IIRR in Ethiopia
Article by Isaac Bekalo, IIRR Africa Regional Center Director

"...another IIRR office outside the Philippines?" a high-ranking IIRR officer exclaimed in disbelief. This was a time when IIRR did not have the policy, strategy or resources to operate a regional office much less a country office. The IIRR strategy in the 70s and 80s was to spread the Rural Reconstruction approach through autonomous national movements and not to operate regional or country offices. It took a leap of faith, enormous amount of courage and persistence for IIRR-Ethiopia to go on record as the first IIRR country office in the world.

Today, IIRR Ethiopia is the largest office in Africa and in the world. As we celebrate our 10th year Anniversary, we sincerely salute our dedicated staff, all our supporters and partners who believed in our vision and helped us translate it to action. To you all ameegnalehu.

Testing our relevance

The work of IIRR in Ethiopia is slightly older than the 10 years anniversary we are celebrating. In the late 80s and early 90s, several NGO and government leaders attended various international training courses offered in IIRR’s global headquarters in Silang, Philippines. This was followed by series of short (one-two-week) in-country courses conducted by IIRR-Africa regional centre in collaboration with established national and international organizations like Christian Development and Relief Agency (CRDA) and Action Aid Ethiopia. Similarly, IIRR conducted several customized trainings on request by various International NGOs and government agencies. With Family Guidance Association of Ethiopia (FGAE), IIRR developed information education and communication materials whilst integrating in indigenous approach to family planning and reproductive health. This gave birth to what is known as the writeshop process where IIRR documents, manages and disseminates knowledge world-wide.We tested the Bio Intensive Agriculture (BIG) to food security in Southern Ethiopia in collaboration with Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). This technology was initially developed in the Philippines. We collaborated with PACT in capacity building of civil society organizations for food security and rural development. As early as 1994, we integrated gender into each of the learning initiatives. This gave birth to our current Gender in Leadership and Decision Making Project which is the largest, and the oldest program. Through these early initiative, IIRR tested the appropriateness of various approaches to addressing the needs of the poor, relevance to national development priorities of the host country and capacity building demands of civil society organizations. These gave IIRR the confidence to open the Ethiopia country office.

Confidence in our people

It is the tradition of most international to accord the top leadership jobs to foreigners. IIRR took a different path which was then considered risky. By appointing a woman national as its first country Director, IIRR surprised many in the NGO community and the government. IIRR led the way in that today we have many national leaders in charge of international organizations. The first two county directors (Wro. Mulunesh Woldemariam and Ato Lealem Brehanu) provided a total of 9 years of solid leadership and passed on the torch to our current and able leader Ato Firew Kefyaw. Each of these leaders believed in the cause of Rural Reconstruction, which is a people centered, participatory and integrated development. IIRR believed in these leaders and they in turn believed in the cause of the poor and together we have witnessed immense success for the past 10 years. I am personally grateful to these who have not disappointed us.

Long Walk to Success

The road was rough and bumpy with numerous challenges. Internally the concept of a country office did not exist. Some of our partners mistook us for competitors. The government bureaucracy was not easy to surmount. Senior staffs would gain new skills and experience, become highly marketable and leave for greener pastures with minimal notice.

While we are deeply rooted with a long history of development in Asia, we had little to show locally in Ethiopia or in the Africa region. It used to be an uphill task convincing our donor partners of our seriousness and ability to deliver on our claims.

Despite the above challenges, our team has worked tirelessly to make IIRR-Ethiopia the biggest IIRR success story ever. Today IIRR-Ethiopia:

• is the oldest and largest country program of IIRR globall
• generates the largest volume of business and revenue through general and customized trainings, technical missions, publications and study tours
• has developed a model of gender in leadership and decision making program that serves as a national example
• works with over 40 partner organizations and is known as a capacity development organization of choice for many
• has several well funded (from diverse sources) Learning Community Center (LCC) programs in gender, peace building, reproductive health, basic education, work place HIV / AIDS mainstreaming and micro-enterprise development.

The success from our Learning Community Centers is worth a special mention. These are models that are now being replicated by many. First, today IIRR is a recognized national gender resource facility and a leader in gender training and mainstreaming. The cutting edge six hour film series (Yayene) IIRR produced in gender has been aired twice on national television due to popular demand. The series has been pirated making it available to a wider viewership in Ethiopia, it has also enjoyed a global audience. Government and other development organizations have now adapted the concept of gender and leadership in decision-making nationally.

A small water-harvesting project introduced as component of Bio Intensive Agriculture (BIG) in southern Ethiopia is now adapted as a national water harvesting strategy where tens of thousands water reservoirs are constructed throughout rural Ethiopia.

In reproductive health, through a project known as Learning Our Way Out (LOWO), IIRR has evolved a community dialogue strategy, which has been adapted by national organizations like Family Guidance Association of Ethiopia (FGAE), Pathfinder, UNDP and others. It is globally recognized communitymobilization strategy known as ‘community conversation’. These are early manifestations of the greater success envisiones by IIRR Ethiopia.

The Future

By all indications, IIRR-Ethiopia is headed for greater success in making a significant difference in the lives of the poor in Ethiopia. In the year of its 10th anniversary (2007), IIRR-Ethiopia has received significant funding from the Royal Netherlands Embassy for women in peace building and conflict resolution initiative. In the same year, grants agreements for basic education, HIV / AIDS work place mainstreaming and access to market & cooperative development have been signed.

IIRR’s core business well remain capacity building for poverty reduction and will continue developing new models and replicating them for a wider impact. The future will not be any easier than the past. It requires even more faith in our own people and their leadership. With more courage, determination and hard work, we well soon attain our common dream of reducing poverty, declaring justice, equity and peace in Ethiopia and in the world.

Finally, IIRR is highly grateful to Inter Church Development Organization (ICO), the Royal Netherlands Embassy, Cordaid Foundation, the Ireland Development Aid, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and our education program donor, who chooses to remain anonymous. Special appreciation goes to our partners (communities, NGOs and government), without their support, IIRR would not have achieved the success it has achieved today.

Once again – thank you all very much!

Posted on: December 2007